Kidney Transplant Program
The Emory Kidney Transplant Program provides state-of-the-art evaluation, treatment and follow-up care for patients approaching or at end stage renal disease (ESRD). Although not considered a cure for patients with ESRD, kidney transplantation offers preferable alternatives to dialysis for many patients.
Our Atlanta kidney transplant center ranks as one of the most prestigious transplant programs in the country. Our team of specialists are highly skilled in the care of kidney transplant patients and living donors and will work with you every step of the way to ensure superior care and service.
Emory Kidney Transplant Center Highlights
In 1966, Emory performed the first Georgia kidney transplant. To date, Emory has performed over 2,700 adult and pediatric kidney transplants.
Emory's first kidney-pancreas transplant was performed in 1989. Today, the pancreas transplantation program includes simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplants, pancreas after kidney, and islet transplantation.
Emory has a well-established living donor kidney transplant program. We encourage living donation because of the excellent outcomes and the shorter wait time for critically ill patients. Donating a kidney to a loved one can also strengthen the bond between donor and recipient. To date, Emory's Kidney Transplant Center has performed more than 600 living donor kidney transplants.
In 1999, Emory began offering laparoscopic nephrectomy (kidney removal) for living kidney donors. This minimally invasive procedure promotes less scarring, and the recovery time is much shorter than with traditional surgery. To date, Emory has performed nearly 400 laparoscopic nephrectomies.
Emory is at the forefront of transplant research into true immune tolerance of transplanted organs. The hope is to develop new drugs that prevent rejection without the toxic side effects associated with today's immunosuppressant agents.
In 2010, Emory opened its innovative Paired Donor Kidney Exchange Program, in which people can donate a kidney to a friend or loved one despite incompatible blood matches. In paired donation, a donor and recipient are matched with another incompatible donor and recipient pair, and the kidneys are exchanged between the pairs.
